For years,
many of us have wondered about the exact location of the Wiley cabin, on
Walkers Creek, where Jenny Wiley lived at the time of her capture.
Thanks to Jo Ann (Tickle) Scott, who lives a very short distance from the
site, we now have the answer. Jo Ann remembers the cabin from the
days when portions of it were still standing.

Jo Ann
is a descendant of the HARMAN family, specifically Capt. Henry and Mathias
HARMAN, two gentlemen who figured prominently in the Jenny Wiley story.

It is
with much appreciation to Jo Ann, that I make this information available.

LOCATION.

The Wiley cabin was located in present day Bland County, VA, on today's
route 604, approximately 2 1/2 miles from SR 42, especially close to the
old Appalachean Trail. The area is known locally as Cracker's Neck
- the story goes that the road was so crooked, "he" cracked his neck driving
along it..

.The cabin was located about 100 yards north of Walkers Creek, which
runs parallel with the road. This spot is along an area where
the creek and road runs fairly straight. There is nothing left of
the cabin today, the site marked only by a clump of trees..

..CABIN DESCRIPTION.

Jo Ann retains clear memories of the one-room
Wiley cabin, which was built from whole logs, hewn to interlock at the
corners. The roof was also made from logs, but smaller logs were
used on the roof than for the walls. The cabin was small - probably
only about 18' X 22'. The front of the house was at least one
log higher than the back.

There was one window, to the left of the door.
The window and door frames were about two inches thick, and wide enough
to cover the ends of the logs. The frames stood flat against the
ends of the logs, which had been cut to form the openings.

The chimney, probably constructed from stone, was probably at the
right end of the house. There was no evidence of a porch, although
there may have been one at one time. Harry M. Caudill, in his
book Dark Hills to Westward - The Saga of Jenny Wiley, described
an interior half-loft accessed via a ladder attached to a wall. Most
pioneer cabins had some sort of loft, so it is reasonable to expect no
less from the Wiley cabin, which Caudill described as "affluent."

Actual site in Bland County where the Wiley
Cabin stood.Photo taken from about 20 feet from the
road (604).Photo copyright 1998 by Jo Ann (Tickle) Scott.
All Rights Reserved

According to Caudill, this main cabin was once
"connected" via a "dog trot" to a smaller cabin located to the rear of
the main cabin. Caudill also mentioned a bar and several animal pens.Unfortunately, Caudill did not mention his sources for this information.

If they did exist at one time, all of those ammenities, the roof,
the loft, the rear cabin, pens, etc., had long since disappeared by the
time Jo Ann arrived in the area. The right end of the cabin had fallen
in, so that the door frame was barely visible. There was no floor
at that time.

.Approximation of route Jenny (Sellards)
WileyTraveled as an Indian Captive, 1789-90..